First of this year's Project SEARCH interns offered permanent job

Barely past the half way mark of this year and we already have some amazing news to share with you. Daniel — one of the Mile End group — completed a work trial at the beginning of March in the restaurant at Royal London Hospital and made such a good impression that he was offered a job there and then! An incredible achievement for both him and the team.

Daniel (left) and his new manager at the Royal London - Nick

However the exciting news around Employment as a final destination doesn’t stop there. We’ve had multiple job applications flying out the door recently, with some of the interns already being invited to interview in the next couple of weeks. The group continue to work well in their current placements, which will finish at the end of this term.

There has also been some excellent feedback from the mentor and managers and the interns have paved the way for the third and final placements which start after Easter. Without exception, the interns have matured and continue to develop essential work skills for their adult lives in such diverse department as Sexual Health, Pathology, Laundry, Medical Engineering and in multiple ward placements across the Whipps Cross and Mile End Hospitals.

Family involvement continues to be a very important part of what we do at Project SEARCH. The fourth round of Employment planning meeting will be happening shortly. These half termly meetings gather together family, the Project SEARCH team, Managers, Mentors and other significant members of staff, to discuss the young person and how best to support them. The family curriculum, which has six sessions throughout the Project SEARCH, also helps the family further understand and support their young person towards that all important job.

Thank you to everyone who supports Project SEARCH throughout the borough and beyond. Watch this space for more exciting news in the near future.